Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Grant on July 02, 2005, 11:12:14 am

Title: Adding two swarms together
Post by: Grant on July 02, 2005, 11:12:14 am

I have collected two swarms this summer both are small and do not think they will be able to collect enought honey to get them though the winter alone.

 If I add them together shounld I open the hives and kill one queen or let nature take its course and let them fight it out and the strongest survive.

Title: Adding two swarms together
Post by: thegolfpsycho on July 02, 2005, 12:29:14 pm

Do either of them exhibit any qualities you want to keep??  Good brood pattern? Gentle? More wax than a swarm normally draws?  One colony gathering more nectar than the other?  

I believe there is still time if you could give them each a couple frames of sealed brood.  It's amazing the difference a couple pounds of bees can make.

Title: Adding two swarms together
Post by: Grant on July 02, 2005, 02:17:58 pm

The one swarm I clollected early in the spring and have not been in them for some time . But they did raised a new queen to repalce the one in the swarm . She was not laying a good pattern and the bees were not happy campers. The swarm I collected last night Is about a football size and there is the catch Iam not sure if they can collect enough honey to survive the winter.